The crowd shouted, some even bursting into tears, crying loudly. Seeing this strange scene, Charles Clark did not laugh; he felt something he had never experienced in over twenty years of life.

……

Handan City is most famous for its beauties. Zhao State produces beautiful women—this is a universally acknowledged fact. The feudal lords all take pride in marrying women from Zhao, and most of Zhao’s beauties are concentrated in Handan. Handan is the largest city in Zhao. Here, you can see merchants from Qi, warriors from Yan, and even scholars from Chu. These people wear bright red Chu robes and speak in “bird language” that the people of Zhao cannot understand, swaggering down the streets.

The eateries here are not state-run like those in Qin, so the atmosphere is not so solemn. You can see many men sitting in the restaurants, boasting about various things.

“I heard from others that Mafuzi is truly a talented person. Mafuzi has studied military strategy since childhood and is unmatched. Even when Mafujun was alive, he was no match for Mafuzi and was often left speechless by his arguments. With such a worthy talent in Zhao, why does the ruler refuse to let him command Zhao’s chariots and crush the Qin army?”

“I heard that those who eat meat are mediocre—they’re just jealous of Mafuzi’s talent! The Qin have taken our Shangdang and now want to seize Changping. All we can do is defend. If Mafuzi could command Zhao’s chariots, how could the Qin continue to be so arrogant?” one man said, angrily slamming his fist on the wooden table in front of him. The people of Zhao are not afraid of death. Ever since they changed their attire and mounted horses, the people of Zhao have never bowed their heads.

Now, with the war against Qin going badly, this has undoubtedly struck a nerve among the people of Zhao. Almost everyone is talking about it. They are extremely angry; they feel insulted. The people of Zhao cannot tolerate humiliation. In this situation, Charles Clark’s reputation suddenly swept across all of Zhao. Not just in Handan—wherever there are people of Zhao, you can hear the name Charles Clark.

The people of Zhao boast that if our Mafuzi went to war, the Qin would have been driven home long ago. How could there still be officers captured by the Qin?

It is said that in Yan, there was even a case where a man from Zhao killed someone over Charles Clark. The reason for the killing was that, while this man from Zhao was boasting about Charles Clark, a man from Yan asked him, “Who is Charles Clark?” Feeling that Charles Clark… no, that he himself… no, that the entire Zhao State had been insulted, the warrior killed the man from Yan on the spot.

In a large courtyard in the south of Handan, an old man and a young man sat facing each other.

“I followed your advice and went to see Charles.”

“But he wasn’t happy because of what I said. He told me that I am his friend and that he would never do anything to harm me.”

Hearing Edward Young’s words, the elder was taken aback. Stroking his beard, he asked in surprise, “Could it be that he saw through our intentions? Didn’t you say he was arrogant, conceited, willful, and impulsive? How could he have seen through our plan?”

Edward Young was silent for a long time before finally saying, “I’ve known Charles for two years. He couldn’t have seen through the plan. He probably really considers me a friend… and doesn’t want to do anything to hurt me.” As Edward Young spoke, his expression grew even more complicated. The elder looked at him helplessly. He thought highly of this young man before him—this unloved prince harbored great ambitions in his heart.

He could bend and endure. Even when insulted by the people of Zhao, he could turn a blind eye. After he himself suggested using a death-defying scheme against Charles Clark, he was even willing to go in person to increase the plan’s credibility and avoid suspicion. Such courage truly made the elder fond of him. For himself, this was the greatest treasure. However, Edward Young also had his flaws. Because he had never been favored since childhood and had suffered all kinds of humiliation after coming to Zhao, he was extremely sensitive.

Charles Clark had shown him a little kindness, and it made this young man, who had never experienced care from others, lose his composure.

“He treats me as a friend. I really don’t want to do anything to hurt him. He’s probably the only person in all of Zhao who treats me sincerely. Why don’t we find someone else to replace Lian Po?” Edward Young said.

The elder knew it would come to this and sighed helplessly. Find someone else? Easier said than done. He had nearly bankrupted himself to promote this Charles Clark—decades of savings, all spent to boost this young man’s reputation. Now, even in the southern state of Chu, people remembered the name Charles Clark. Moreover, it was Edward Young who had recommended this young man to Qin. If someone else were to take over, what would become of the prince’s own interests? How would he win the favor of the Qin?

However, the elder did not say this. He knew Edward Young’s temperament and that persuasion would be useless.

He bowed to Edward Young and said, “I hope you can promise me one thing.”

Edward Young was about to help him up and said, “You are my teacher; you shouldn’t treat me with such ceremony. Please, speak.”